Pneumatic switch for railways



(No Model.)

M. WUERPEL.

PNEUMATIC SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS.

310.398.36 1. Patented'f'eb. 19, 1889.

In "V911 t'or N, PETERS, Plwm-Lnhographur, Wnihmglon. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS \VIIERIEI), OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PNEUMATIC SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,364, dated February 19, 1889. Application filed April 30, 1888. Serial No. 272,356. (No model) To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS WUERPEL, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Actuating Devices for Railway- Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This is a device by which railway-switches may be operated from a distance.

Figure I is a top view of the device. Fig. II is a side elevation with parts in section. Fig. III is a transverse vertical section viewed from the left at III III, Fig. II.

1 is the switch-rod or red to which themoving switch-rails are connected.

2 is a piston having at its ends heads 3, working in cylinders at, and having cup or other packing 5. The piston has a standard, 6, to which the switch-rod is connected. The standard works in a guide-slot, 7. Cast in one piece with the cylinders I, or intimately connected therewith, are cylindrical valve boxes or cylinders 8, whose chambers 9 are connected by ports 10 with the chambers 11 of the cylinder 1.

12 are valves working as pistons inthe cylinders S, and having each two heads, 13, with packing 1 1, fitting theinterior of the cylinder, and a waist, 15, of smaller diameter, forming, with the cylinder, an annular chamber, 16. \Yhen the valve is in its outer position, the annular chamber 16 is in communication with the port 10, so that air entering the chamber through the passage 17 will enter the chamber 11 in the cylinder 1 and force the piston 2 endwise in the cylinders.

The ports or passages 17 ot' the two cylirn ders 8 are in connection with the branches 18 of a pipe, 19,1hrough which air or other fluid may be lin'ced to cause the movement of the switch-piston 2. It will be seen that the direction in which the piston 2 is moved is dependent upon the position of the valves 12. The means for moving the valves will. now be described. The valve-stem 20 has upon it a wrist-pin, 21, which occupies a vertical slot in a standard, 2 upon a piston, 23,

so that when this piston is moved the valves The piston 23 has at the are moved with it.

. gaged from the rack ends heads 2%, working, each, in a cylinder, 25, and having packing 26.

27 are pipes, through which water or other fluid is forced into the chambers 28 of the cylinders 25. No means are shown of toreing the water or other fluid through the pipes 27 or the air or other fluid through the pipe 19,

with its branches 18, nor the valves for 0011- I dogs have points 82, adapted to engage the rack 29, and are pivoted to the frame at At 34 are extensions forming weights that act to lift up the points against the rack, except when they (the extensions 34) are held up by the tappet S5. The tappet rocks on an arbor, 86, and has an upwardly-extending arm, 37, which is slotted to receive a wrist-p111, 38, on the valve-stem 20. \Vhen the valve-stem begins to move into the position shown in Fig. II, the point 32 of the dog 31 1s disen- 29, so as to allow the movement of the piston 2, the dog 30 at the same time engaging the rack, so as to prevent the opposite movement of tllODlSilOll and switcl 1. until by the movement of the valve-stem 20 in the opposite direction the tappet 1s reversed and the dog 30 is disengaged from the rack 29, the'dog 31 being at the same time engaged with the rack.

' In order to allow the water or other flu1d to exhaust from the chambers 9 when the valves 12 are moved outward, holes 39 are made in the end of the cylinders 8. The contents oi the chamber 11 also find vent through the holes 39 after passing through the passage 10.

This invention is in some respects an improvement on the invention for which Letters Patent No. 330,862 were granted to me November17, 1885, and the devices therein shown I dol not claim in the present application.

I claim 1.;The combination, in a switch-actuating mechanism, of the piston 2, attached to the switch-rod, cylinders 8, in communication working in the cylinders 8, the latter having with cylinder 4, the piston-va1ves 12, actuexhaust-ports 39, double-ended piston 24, ating double-ended piston connected to the working in cylinders 25, and pipes 18, 19,and Valve-stein 20, cylinders 25, and pipes 27, for 27, supplying fluid under pressure to Work. 5 the purpose set forth. the pistons 2 and 24, for the purpose set forth. 15

2. The combination, in a switch-actuating T x mechanism, of the double-ended piston 2, at- MORRIS W UERPEL' tached to the switch-rod and Working in cyl- In presence ofinders 4, valve-cylinders 8, in connection with SAML. KNIGHT, IO the cylinders 4 by ports 10, piston-valves 12, J08. 'WAHLE. 

